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lacerate

[ verb las-uh-reyt; adjective las-uh-reyt, -er-it ]
/ verb ˈlæs əˌreɪt; adjective ˈlæs əˌreɪt, -ər ɪt /
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See synonyms for: lacerate / lacerated on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), lac·er·at·ed, lac·er·at·ing.
to tear roughly; mangle: The barbed wire lacerated his hands.
to distress or torture mentally or emotionally; wound deeply; pain greatly: His bitter criticism lacerated my heart.
adjective
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Origin of lacerate

1535–45; from Latin lacerātus, past participle of lacerāre “to tear up” (derivative of lacer “mangled”); see -ate1

synonym study for lacerate

1. See maim.

OTHER WORDS FROM lacerate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use lacerate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lacerate

lacerate

verb (ˈlæsəˌreɪt) (tr)
to tear (the flesh, etc) jaggedly
to hurt or harrow (the feelings, etc)
adjective (ˈlæsəˌreɪt, -rɪt)
having edges that are jagged or torn; laceratedlacerate leaves

Derived forms of lacerate

lacerable, adjectivelacerability, nounlaceration, nounlacerative, adjective

Word Origin for lacerate

C16: from Latin lacerāre to tear, from lacer mangled
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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